Andrea Chenier

Andrea Chenier

It is the summer of 1789. A festivity is being prepared in the castle of Countess de Coigny. Charles Gérard, a servant of the Countess´ voices his hatred of the French aristrocracy´s decadence. His aged Father is forced to labour all day long and Gérard himself leads the undignified life of a lackey. Moreover, he is secretly and unhappily in love with Madeleine de Coigny, the daughter of the House with whom he was raised. The political situation is very tense. When the visitors attending the ball finally arrive, they try to distract themselves from the disquieting news from Paris with the help of arcadian idylls and games. The young poet André Chénier is among the guests. Madeleine requests him to recite a poem. He sings of love and laments the injustice of the powers that be in such a convincing manner that Madeleine is deeply moved and forced to quit the room. The doors are suddely opened and a mob of irate people led by Gérard shocks the ball guests. However, the Countess manages to pacify and disperse the mob. The dancing continues. It is five years later and nobody is dancing. Paris trembles under the regime of Robespierre. Gérard has been elected prosecutor at the revolutionary tribunal, the impoverished Madeleine lives in Paris, supported by Bersi, her former maid, who now works as a courtesan. Chenier is being persecuted due to his poems against Robespierre´s regime of terror. Although his friend Roucher entreats him to leave Paris, he refuses as he has fallen in love with an unknown woman who secretly corresponds through letters. The unknown woman is no other than Madeleine. When the two meet and confess their feelings during a nocturnal rendez-vous, they are surprised by Gérard who has been looking for Madeleine with the help of his spies. Gérard and Chénier fight and Gérard is wounded. Gérard implores his rival to flee with Madeleine and guard her safety. At a revolutionary tribunal meeting he later signs the prosecution warrant against Chénier, whom he ...

Andrea Chenier

It is the summer of 1789. A festivity is being prepared in the castle of Countess de Coigny. Charles Gérard, a servant of the Countess´ voices his hatred of the French aristrocracy´s decadence. His aged Father is forced to labour all day long and Gérard himself leads the undignified life of a lackey. Moreover, he is secretly and unhappily in love with Madeleine de Coigny, the daughter of the House with whom he was raised. The political situation is very tense. When the visitors attending the ball finally arrive, they try to distract themselves from the disquieting news from Paris with the help of arcadian idylls and games. The young poet André Chénier is among the guests. Madeleine requests him to recite a poem. He sings of love and laments the injustice of the powers that be in such a convincing manner that Madeleine is deeply moved and forced to quit the room. The doors are suddely opened and a mob of irate people led by Gérard shocks the ball guests. However, the Countess manages to pacify and disperse the mob. The dancing continues. It is five years later and nobody is dancing. Paris trembles under the regime of Robespierre. Gérard has been elected prosecutor at the revolutionary tribunal, the impoverished Madeleine lives in Paris, supported by Bersi, her former maid, who now works as a courtesan. Chenier is being persecuted due to his poems against Robespierre´s regime of terror. Although his friend Roucher entreats him to leave Paris, he refuses as he has fallen in love with an unknown woman who secretly corresponds through letters. The unknown woman is no other than Madeleine. When the two meet and confess their feelings during a nocturnal rendez-vous, they are surprised by Gérard who has been looking for Madeleine with the help of his spies. Gérard and Chénier fight and Gérard is wounded. Gérard implores his rival to flee with Madeleine and guard her safety. At a revolutionary tribunal meeting he later signs the prosecution warrant against Chénier, whom he ...

Andrea Vanzo

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Andrea Merlo / Piano Recital

The Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, born in 1810, was considered a child prodigy: his piano playing was technically far ahead of his time, and his use of pedals greatly expanded the tonal and technical possibilities of the instrument. Although Chopin followed in the tradition of great role models such as Bach, Mozart and Schubert, he was also particularly influenced by Polish folk music and Italian bel canto. In Chopin’s music, melodies meet great musical demands. Selected piano works by Frédéric Chopin will be performed at the Laeiszhalle by Andrea Merlo, who studied at the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre and attracted attention as a soloist at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Andrea Marcon · BRSO hip

“Historically informed performance” can sound unwieldy. This is why there is a catchier colloquial abbreviation: “HIP,” which denotes something that is “modern,” or even “trendy.” According to BRSO Chief Conductor Sir Simon Rattle, his beloved baroque music, played on period instruments, is “trending” (another colloquial verb), and he wants to add it to the orchestra’s repertory and profile. Andrea Marcon, at the invitation of Sir Simon, will conduct this season’s second HIP matinee. As a deliberate contrast to the first matinee that featured Bach cantatas, the second matinee will focus primarily on the Italian Baroque, including Vivaldi’s well-known Four Seasons. Francesco Maria Veracini’s compositions are likely to be new to some listeners – and perhaps they will even be HIP by the end of the concert.

André Heller’s Menschenkinder: Andrea Breth

Andrea Breth shaped Vienna’s Burgtheater of the 2000s and 2010s like no other stage director. Her psychological realist style made her one of the driving forces in German theatre. Numerous prizes and invitations to the Berliner Theatertreffen, a theatre festival in Berlin, were the reward for her work. In 2019, she bid farewell to the Viennese public for the time being with the production of Gerhard Hauptmann’s »The Rats«. In conversation with André Heller, she recollects an eventful time and tells of her career in the theatre. In his film series »Menschenkinder«, André Heller has been profiling very different personalities and their lives since 2013. Insightful conversations give the interviewees free reign to recount from their memoirs. Without any pressure or specified direction, they disclose such intimate insights into their career, suddenly recollect long-forgotten memories and, completely incidentally, create a panorama of contemporary history and lived-in worlds. In this way, André Heller dives deeply into the German theatre world of recent decades with the stage director Andrea Breth. Please note: This film will be shown in German.

Cappella Andrea Barca / Sir András Schiff

András Schiff in his own garden, exploring with relish Bach’s Triple Concerto for flute, violin and harpsichord and the enchanted paths of two of Mozart’s most awe-inspiring piano concertos.

Master Class / Play with Andrea Eckert as Maria Callas

Maria Callas, the most famous soprano of all time, is back on everyone’s lips – she would have been 100 in December 2023. A number of new biographies have sought to throw light on her dramatic life, and a film starring Angelina Jolie in the main role is due to be released in 2024. The American playwright Terrence McNally wrote his hit play »Master Class« in 1995. In the fictional story, Callas, after the end of her stage career, begins to teach three young singers, and through that finds herself. In flashbacks, »Master Class« also reflects on the key stages of Maria Callas’s life: her childhood marked by poverty, her dazzling performances at La Scala in Milan, and the destructive relationship with the wealthy business magnate Aristoteles Onassis. As if in passing, the play also features music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and Vincenzo Bellini. As part of the Reflektor festival curated by André Heller, the legendary production by the Vienna Volkstheater is now being shown in Hamburg for one time only – starring the actress and singer Andrea Eckert as the merciless, vulnerable diva. A record 170,000 theatregoers saw this production over twelve years. Eckert received numerous awards for her role and was acclaimed as the play’s prima donna assoluta. Please note: This event takes place in German.

Premiere: Bellini "Norma"

Bellini "Norma"